I am reading a trade journal where I am learning about Brambell’s Five Freedoms, which was a program that originated in Great Britain to ascertain the welfare of livestock raised in factory farms. Later on, the British government established the Farm Animal Welfare Council in efforts to define the “freedoms”. The freedoms addressed are: Freedom…
Over the weekend, I spent the time upping my Frisbee game with my dogs. Playing Frisbee is: A. A fantastic way of exercising the dogs in just a short time since it is a highly aerobic form of exercise and …B. Much more technical than people give it credit. There are so many skills the…
Recently I found some store-bought a-mazing Quinoa. They are pretty healthy, super tasty, and quite pricey! So I decided to try and make my own version of delicious vegan quinoa cookies. My friends have often complimented me on my animal training abilities, but my cooking, well not so much. However, I decided that I was…
I have written in the past why the model of Dominance or the idea that dogs are pack animals in search of a “pack leader” (the owner) is not only an erroneous construct but really bad news for all dogs. There is so much to say about this construct, but today I want to focus…
I am having a conversation with John who works in the solar industry. We are discussing the fact of how safety protocols – which are abounding in his profession – are sometimes in conflict with what the client wants: less downtime and more production. As he is sharing with me this everlasting conflict, I begin…
At times things can go very wrong. Sometimes, if we are paying attention we might not be caught by surprise but in other instances not only can things go wrong but they can do so very, very fast and as a result find us unprepared. At times things can go very wrong. Sometimes, if we…
I am having dinner while both dogs are chewing on their nightly chewy. Rio is sort of waiting for Deuce to finish his so that she can go explore to see if there is anything left that she can have. I notice this from the corner of my eye as Deuce comes into the kitchen…
It is Friday afternoon and I am wrapping one more work-week. I turn my attention to my own two dogs. What can I teach them next? My inspiration in working with my own dogs might vary slightly to what I do day in and out with client’s dogs. It is true that on occasion I…
Recently I was talking to the participants of my Agility class about the benefits of engaging their dogs in novel experiences as a way to build up their confidence. But what exactly does that mean? So here is how I think of building confidence in our dogs. The goal of any confidence boosting exercise is…
While taking a break from playing with the whippet, I spot Rio peeing on one of her toys. The coffee cup that I am holding in my other hand prevents me from reaching towards it in an effort to stop her from continuing peeing on it because at some point during the game I am…